Sarkozy's New Years Wishes

Nicholas Sarkozy must have retained the same team who designed his campaign website to build the French President's website, a very accessible and detailed version compared to Mitterand's old site. Sarkozy's is lacking an English version though.

Sarkozy gave his wishes for the New Year live from the Elysée Palace, a break with tradition where previous presidents pre-recorded their address, much like the Queen's Christmas Message. Perhaps the autocue is running a little too fast at times, and he loses some of the emphasis, especially when he is trying to explain that 2007 was only the beginning of a 'rupture' from the past, and that he will step up his efforts in 2008. More luck to him.

This morning he had emergency servicemen and women around to thank them for being on duty the previous night, where only (!) 273 cars were set alight in that great French tradition. This is down on the 313 from the previous year. 259 people were detained nationwide. I don't think there could be anything worse than stepping out onto a narrow french street where you'd parked your car the night before to find it reduced to a smouldering pire. I can only imagine the cost of insuring if you park on the street in the 'banlieues' skirting France's major cities reknowned for torching cars.